Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 40 Negative Reviews
After a while, a man was carried out of the West Garden by several Imperial Guards.

This person was none other than Yan Maoqing.

"Knew it……"

Brushing himself off the dust, Yan Maoqing got up from the ground and, ignoring the gloating gazes of the surrounding guards, limped away, muttering to himself:
"The Emperor's definition of 'beating,' 'fighting seriously,' and 'fighting with heart' are different, and the outcome also varies depending on who is in charge of the fight."

"hiss--"

"That bastard Huang Jin went a little too far. Although it won't break any bones, it's definitely red and swollen, and it probably won't go down for at least a night."

"But I won't hold this grudge against you."

"Anyway, soon the rumors of me being flogged and thrown out of the West Garden will be known, and the subsequent plans will be easier to implement. If everything goes smoothly, I might be able to retire and return to my hometown in another half month."

"Speaking of which, tomorrow is the day I'm going to report to the Hanlin Academy for its opening ceremony."

"I'll take this opportunity to ask for a few days off and rest at home, letting those people speculate and inquire, while I also take some time to get some serious business done..."

These thoughts were on his mind.

Yan Maoqing did not return directly to his courtyard, but instead limped to Zhengyang Gate, which was not far from the West Garden.

After passing Zhengyang Gate, you will find the Thousand-Step Corridor where the various government departments of the imperial court are located.

This place is not within the Forbidden City's boundaries; officials from various departments in the capital can freely enter and exit with their identification tokens.

After the selection process concluded, Yan Maoqing had already obtained the credentials for a junior scholar, making it easy for him to come and go as he pleased.

This led to the following astonishing scene:
……

The Imperial Guards stationed at Zhengyang Gate had checked Yan Maoqing's identification token and, as was customary, casually inquired:
"No wonder you look unfamiliar, you're a newly promoted junior scholar... What's wrong with your legs?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it."

Yan Maoqing's face fell, and he said dejectedly,

"Just now, His Majesty summoned me to the West Garden. I spoke nonsense and angered His Majesty, so I was flogged and thrown out."

"I had to come to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty tomorrow, so I had no choice but to ask my superiors at the Hanlin Academy for leave."

"Well???"

The Imperial Guards were stunned and speechless, unsure of how to treat Yan Maoqing.

It is extremely rare for newly appointed scholars to be summoned to the palace, let alone to be summoned by the emperor to the Western Garden for an audience. This is undoubtedly a great favor and opportunity.
But this guy angered the emperor after entering the West Garden, and was flogged and thrown out. How should this be accounted for?
Moreover, there had never been any newly appointed scholars who had been summoned by the emperor before, let alone allowed to go to the Western Garden...

So the Imperial Guard probed again:
"Is Yan Jishi deliberately making fun of me?"

"Who would dare to make fun of the Emperor? Are they out of their mind?"

Yan Maoqing straightened his back and said seriously,

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the Imperial Guards at the West Garden gate. They saw me being thrown out with their own eyes."

"Pass!"

The Imperial Guards were filled with awe and immediately took five steps back, as if afraid of being afflicted by misfortune, keeping a safe distance and refusing to say another word to him, even avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

I really don't know what this idiot is trying to show off about...

...Yan Maoqing recounted his tragic experiences in the West Garden, passing through several gates unimpeded amidst the stares of the crowd.

Finally, he stepped into the Hanlin Academy and met Chen Yingda, the Hanlin Academy scholar on duty that day.

"you are?"

Chen Yingda put down the transcript he was reviewing and frowned at the young man who had disturbed his peace.

The clothes are not clean, bad review!
The sideburns have hanging hair, bad review!
That walk was awful, thumbs down!
Poor manners, bad review!
If this person is his student, based on his performance at this moment, he can forget about getting a single good review from him when the school ends, let alone staying in the Hanlin Academy or becoming a censor. He can only go to the Six Ministries and local areas to be a beast of burden!
Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy. The Hanlin Academy, a top-tier institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, was no exception, and a hierarchy of contempt also existed there.

In the hearts of all Hanlin scholars, the Grand Secretary was the undisputed first rank, Hanlin officials at all levels were the second rank, and the probationary Shujishi were at the bottom.

Of course, this was just a hierarchy of contempt within the Hanlin Academy, and it wasn't actually that sharp.

Externally, the hierarchy of contempt was mainly reflected in the destinations assigned to probationary scholars after three years of study at the academy.

The first tier, naturally, was to remain in the Hanlin Academy as an official, similar to staying on as a university professor in later times.

The second category was to go to the Censorate to serve as an official in charge of criticism and supervision, such as a censor or a supervising secretary, to supervise all officials and correct the abuses of the time, similar to the White Helmets in the army in later generations.
The third class consisted of those who went to serve as officials in the Six Ministries and local governments; they were also privately referred to as "livestock"...

In the eyes of the Hanlin scholars, the six ministries and local grassroots officials lost their voice, had no right to comment on current affairs, and could not speak on behalf of the sages. They could only repeat the grassroots tasks assigned by their superiors all day long. Weren't they just like speechless, hardworking animals?

Moreover, even if the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) are not selected as Shujishi (junior officials), they will still go to the Six Ministries to observe the administration. It will take them as long as six months to a year to be selected as officials and take up their posts. In the end, they will still be selected as officials in the Six Ministries and local governments.

If a junior scholar studies in the Hanlin Academy for three years without holding an official position or receiving a salary, and lives a life of poverty, he will ultimately end up with the same result.

This was a complete rejection of a junior compiler, a blatant elimination, no wonder the other Hanlin scholars looked down on him...

"Greetings, esteemed teacher. This student is Yan Maoqing..."

Yan Maoqing, of course, had no idea what Chen Yingda was thinking. He bowed again, but his body turned slightly to the side due to the movement of his buttocks.

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yingda slammed the transcript on the table, his eyes widening as he glared at him, saying:

"You are Yan Maoqing?!"

He had already seen Yan Maoqing's examination paper, which had been suddenly exposed a couple of days ago.

Not only him, but the officials of the Hanlin Academy were also very familiar with that intriguing palace examination answer sheet. In the past two days, they had been privately discussing how to deal with this treacherous and wicked person after the report was published tomorrow!
As the examiner for this selection, he made the most annotations on Yan Maoqing's submitted article, which led to ridicule from several sarcastic colleagues.

But how can this be blamed on him?
It's all because Yan Maoqing's essay submitted for the Imperial Examination was so deceptive. Not only was it completely different from his answer sheet for the Imperial Examination, but almost every word and sentence was written with his thoughts in mind. How could he possibly guard against it?
"Yes, the student wants to ask for leave."

Yan Maoqing could also see that Chen Yingda's expression was unfriendly, but he still smiled and said it.

"Tomorrow is the first day for a junior scholar to report for duty, and it is also an important day to visit the Confucius Temple and hold the sacrificial ceremony. How dare you ask for leave?"

Chen Yingda was so angry he almost laughed when he heard this.

Disrespectful to teachers and elders, this is the worst possible review!

You dare not try? Let's see if the Hanlin Academy can find a reason to dismiss you!

Yan Maoqing bowed and explained:
"Master, I had no choice but to comply. The Emperor summoned me to the Western Garden, but I inadvertently angered him and was punished with a beating and thrown out..."

"What do you take the Hanlin Academy for? It's nothing more than offending the Emperor and getting a beating in court. Such a trivial matter is not something you can ask for leave for... Hey?!"

Chen Yingda didn't bother listening to Yan Maoqing's explanation at all, and impatiently waved his hand while loudly scolding him. However, he suddenly realized what he was saying halfway through, and his eyes bulged out instantly.
"What did you just say? Say it again?!"

(End of this chapter)